Man plans island watercraft bid

Charlie Head aims to set off in the darkness while he has the most energy

A man hopes to set a new record for the most distance covered on a personal watercraft in 24 hours - by going around and around the Isle of Wight.

Charlie Head, 30, will attempt to cover more than 650 miles (1,046km) in aid of the Prince's Trust and the Bembridge RNLI lifeboat station appeal.

He said he was just waiting for "a weather window" before choosing his moment to set off, probably this week.

The circumference of the Isle of Wight is approximately 60 miles (96.6km).

Mr Head, of Bembridge, said the watercraft belonged to TV adventurer Bear Grylls, and that it would be auctioned off after the challenge to raise further funds.

Mr Grylls had used it to circumnavigate Great Britain, he said.

He has yet to decide whether to travel clockwise or anti-clockwise around the island.

"This depends of the wind and tide.

"If it's south westerly then I might go anti-clockwise, if it's anything else I might go the other way," he said.

He aims to set off at night, to tackle the darkness while he still has the most energy.

As a watersports teacher, he said he wanted to help his local RNLI station who were "totally reliant on donations".

The Bembridge Lifeboat Station Appeal was launched in June 2008 to raise £1m towards a new boathouse for a new Tamar class all-weather lifeboat.